Everyone, thank you so much for the encouraging comments. You have no idea how surprised and happy I was this morning to find the POTD messages! I am always encouraged by your suggestions and comments. Thank you all for looking at my gallery, and taking the time to comment!...Songbird. #5246676

Songbird I have say a big congrats on your lovely POTD. I am from Alaska and spent many wonderful days at portage glacier growing up. When I was little the glacier was all the way to where the visitors center is now. In the winter there would be big icebergs frozen solid in the lake and we got to climb on them. That was from 1958 to about the 1970s. I moved to Alabama in 1994 and miss Alaska's fabulous landscape. Thanks for the memories. #5253160

Songbird, this is totally awesome! I can feel myself standing there! I have stood in similar places in Alaska near the Army's Arctic Training Center at Fort Greely and could hear my own heartbeat! Just amazing!Jim #5334072

Hi Mitch, Yes the glaciers are an awesome color, especially when the sun is NOT out. The color is magnificent on cloudy days as this was in Sept. We all need to help with the global warming problem so we have galciers for our grandkids to see.. they are melting at an alarming rate. #5372796

Songbird, congratulations on this fantastic Photo of the Day! I'm really fascinated by your landscapes from all over the world! It's like looking at National Geographic Magazine. This is one of your outstanding nature images. Thank you sharing this rare image! #5379960

Wow.. very nice Songbird. Photo of the day, congrats. Keep up the good work. I haven't been on here that much, but I have some butterfly and a hummingbird moth that I added. Check them out if you have time.

Breathtaking capture. Had to be awesome seeing this view! You captured it beautifully. What color!Thank-you for all your recent lovely comments. I really appreciate it and love seeing new people in my gallery.I can see why you have so many EP...they are all simply beautiful! #6740713

Its a beautiful place! Sadly it is melting and appears different than the last time I was there one year ago. Thank you everyone for the comments and visiting my gallery! I sure appreciate it! #8001698

Oh My GOD!!!! I'm so excited to see this image you created Songbird... WOWOW!!!!Simply Stunning!!!!I've never see anything like this before!!!GOrgEOUSCONGRATS TO YOU ON YOUR EP AND POTD!!CHRISSMILING WITH YOU #8788295

As well it should be! It is truly a wonderful capture of this iconic glacier! I have been there and seen its beauty (alas in my film days), and this is such a creative composition. Love all your Alaskan beauties, but this is my favorite! #8806585

small ice pieces, as well as snow, looks white, because the sunlight shining onto them gets completely reflected back, and no absorption of light by the ice particles take place. Hence, small ice pieces and snow appear white. However, large ice bergs and glaciers in most places appear blue in color. In nature, there are other things that appear blue, like the sky and sea water. But the phenomena involved in both cases that makes them appear blue are different, although they result in the same blue color.

Sky is blue due to Rayleigh scattering, while sea water is blue due to reflection of blue light and absorption of red light. The blue color of the ice berg or glacier is also due to Rayleigh scattering, or the Tyndall effect, after the release of blue light from the sunlight. As the ice is transparent, it permits light to pass through. Before the ice allows light to pass through it, the ice crystals absorb light of longer wavelengths from the visible spectrum. Hence, red light is absorbed. The major color left, which is blue light, has a shorter wavelength, and is allowed to pass through the glacier.

As the light travels deeper and deeper into the glacier the ice appears dark blue. This phenomenon of blue color becoming darker as the light goes deeper is due to scattering. Though sky also appears blue due to scattering, it is slightly different from what is occurring in the ice. In the sky, blue light gets absorbed and scattered, while in the ice, blue light gets reflected and scattered.

If the ice berg is thin, then all the white light is transmitted through it. If the ice is thick, then only blue light is transmitted through it. If we make a hole in the glacier and look through it, we can observe the blue color inside. So, glaciers appear blue due to reflection and scattering of the blue light present in sunlight. #9445375

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